Towel-service device and method.



S. B. FETHEROLF.

TOWEL SERVICE DEVICE AND METHOD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25; 1915.

1,290,950. Patented Jan.1f1,1919.

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STEPHEN B. FETHEROLF, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

TOWEL-SERVICE DEVICE AND METHOD.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN B. FETHE- ROLF, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the. city of Cincinnati, in

.the county of. Hamilton and State of :Ohio, .have invented certain-newand useful Improvements in Towel-Service'Devices. and Methods, of which,the followingis afull,

clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to devices for re- ,tai ning a number of towels inposition for use, but held against re'moval'from the retaining means.The towel service system hasbeen worked outso that these retainingdevices are adapted to be supplied with towels at the laundry or centralstation, and delivered to the user in locked position; The towels aremounted on a'rack or stand and the retaining device locked in' place sothat the whole cannot be removed. When the towels are soiled, thelaundryman collects them but they are not removed from the re taineruntil they reach the laundry, as the laundry manager keeps the key.

In the past these towels have been mounted by stringing them on a rodand holding them from removal from the rod by a chain connecting theends of the rod. It has been found that great economy can be gained byusing double towels so that the laundry expense is cut down to one half.and the handling of the towels simplified by one half the necessarymotions. Accordingly it is the object of my invention to provide adouble towel retaining device of the nature set forth, and this I do bythat certain construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinaftermore specifically pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rack.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the rack and the towel holding device inuse.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section of the trough member, looking in bothdirections.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the trough.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation thereof, turned toward the observer.

In my former patent application Serial No. 859,740, filed September 2,1914, I showed and described a double towel retain.- ing device whereinthe'towels were secured by placing a gromet at some central point of thetowel, and then stringing the towel on Specification of Letters Patent.

. clamp to seize and Patented Jan. 14., 1919.

Application filed February 25, 1915. Serial No. 10,492.

the holder. The towels Were then placed on a rack, and the user wastopull off of a shelf .the one half of a towel, and after using it letithang' down from the rack. The next userwas to use theother half of thetowel and then the whole towel was dropped down from the rack. r Y I Inordinary use, however, it is-not necessary to have the towels droppeddown from ofi theirsupporting'sh'elf or rack as they are used and thatfor most purposes it is just as well to let the soiled towels hang downfrom the rack. Accordingly I provide a locking hold a bundle of towelsalong their median line, and make this clamp removable from its rack orstand so that it may be taken bodily, towels and alltothe laundry, andreturned to the user stocked with clean towels which cannot be removed.

Various devices might be adapted for this purpose and the one shown anddescribed is merely my preferred form. Thetriangular shaped trough 1 hasat one end a hole'2 and at the other a groove 3 to receive a towelclamping rod 4. The rod 4 is of a size to pass through the hole 2 andlie in the groove 3. The trough has a slot 5 in the bottom near the endhaving the groove and on the rod is an arm 6 which is adapted to extendthrough this slot.

The arm 6 has a slot 7 in the end thereof which protrudes through theslot in the trough, and a padlock 8 is provided having a locking arm 9to extend through the slot in the arm 6. To put the towels in the rackthe end of the rod i run through the hole 2 at the end of the trough.The towels 10 are then laid in the trough and the rod brought down overthem. The arm 6 on the rod is run through the slot in the bottom of thetrough, and the padlock employed to lock it in place therein. The partsare so proportionedthat the rod will be brought down and held fast inthe groove at the trough end by this operation, and the required stackof towels held tightly clamped in place, with free ends the size of anordinary service towel extending out of the trough at each side of therod. For a towel service where but a few towels are required, the wholedevice,

rack. The preferred form for this purpose Copies at this patent may beobtained tor is to provide any bracket fitting 11, having a slot 12 init at one end of the rack 13 that may be selected. The other end of therack is fitted with a bracket piece 1 1 having a hole 15 in it. The onerod end is inserted in the hole 15 and the other set into the slot 12. Ahasp 16 may then be provided which will close down over the piece 11 andlie along the flange 17 to be locked by another padlock 18.

The rod 4 would not hold the towels against removal if it were not forthe fact that it is held fast against any springing up at each end. Thetowel are not in this device held locked at the middle but are locked orclamped against removal at the ends which is just as effective;

It is believed to be quite plain that this device is simple and of veryeasy use. The towels do not have to be folded at the laundry but aremerely laid out straight and clamped along their median line. When thetowels are put in the rack, they are all thrown back over the shelf 19thereof, and the user merely pulls one half a towel ofi" of the shelf.The same advantages are gained as in the individual towel servicedevices of the past with much less expense in handling from every pointof view.

It is, of course, evident that my device for clamping a bundle of towelscan be used for single length individual towels as well as for thedouble. In this use it has the same advantages as the use for doubletowels in simplicity of use and operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In a device of the character described, a towel retaining devicecomprising an elongated member with two walls substantially at rightangles to each other forming a crotch, a rod member and means forretainingthe rod member pressed against the walls of the elongatedmember so as to hold a bundle of towels in a position bent around theedges of the angle member and clamped against the angle member on eachside of the rod near the said crotch, a rack, and means for mounting theretaining device on the rack with the crotch of the angle member facingforwardly of the rack, for providing a rotation of clean towels forindividual use.

Witnesses AMns BRAon, K. SMITH.

Washington, D. C."

